Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Judge Shaun R. Floerke and the reappointment of William J. Egan and Cynthia C. Jepsen to the Board on Judicial Standards. All three are appointed to four-year terms that expire on January 6, 2014.

Egan, of Edina, is an attorney, partner and chair of the Labor and Employment Law and Litigation Practice Group with the law firm of Oppenheimer, Wolff, and Donnelly in Minneapolis. He has also been an adjunct instructor in professional responsibility with William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. Egan earned his juris doctorate degree cum laude from William Mitchell and his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a member of the board of directors of the Alzheimer’s Association of Minnesota-North Dakota, where he is treasurer and finance committee chair, and a member of the Archdiocesan Investment Advisory Committee with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Egan, who has been a member of the Board on Judicial Standards since 2006 and is the current chair, is reappointed as an attorney member.

Floerke, of Duluth, is a Sixth Judicial District trial court judge in Duluth – a position he has held since 2004 – and assistant Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District. Previously, he held positions in the civil division of the St. Louis County Attorney’s office in Duluth, an associate attorney with the Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith and Frederick law firm in Duluth, lead prosecutor in the Steele County Attorney’s office in Owatonna, and an associate attorney and partner with the Ruth, Schreiner, Long and Floerke law firm in Owatonna. Floerke earned his juris doctorate degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. As a judge, he founded and is the presiding judge of the South St. Louis County DWI Court, co-founded the Early Neutral Evaluation program in South St. Louis County, and is the presiding judge and chair of a collaborative group that includes Men as Peacemakers, the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, Safe Haven/Family Justice Center and other agencies who work with offenders to bring accountability and restoration through a sentencing circle model. Floerke replaces the Honorable Gary Pagliaccetti on the Board on Judicial Standards as a trial court judge member.

Jepsen, of Marine on St. Croix, is a principal contract lobbyist and consultant with Capitol Resource. Previously, she has held a number of jobs in regulatory affairs and government, including a variety of positions in Governor Arne Carlson’s administration. Jepsen earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota Her public service activities have included serving as mayor of Marine on St. Croix, a member of the Marine on St. Croix Planning Commission, chair of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Board, chair of the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, and president and treasurer of the Marine Restoration Society. Jepsen, who has been a member of the Board on Judicial Standards since 2006, is reappointed as a public member.

The Board on Judicial Standards investigates allegations of misconduct by Minnesota judges and referees and recommends discipline to the Minnesota Supreme Court, including censure, suspension, retirement or removal of judges. The board consists of 10 members appointed by the Governor, including one judge of the Court of Appeals, three trial court judges, two attorneys with at least 10 years of experience in the state and four public members.